The Underground
by waterwingeddove
Summary: Erza just wants to get an early night's rest for once, but Bacchus and Cana are insistent on reliving the glory days of their undergrad years by dragging Erza out for a night. The last thing she expects is to become immediately captivated by the hot dancer who can work absolute magic with her hips. [Minerza. Modern AU.]


Erza turned out the light to her bedroom with a content sigh, piling into bed shortly after. She plugged her phone in to let it charge, and there she saw the time- 10:23. That was an early night for her compared to most other nights, where she stayed up until ungodly hours in the morning with grad school work. She was going to savor a night of full sleep.

Just when Erza was close to curing her exhaustion with sleep, her phone buzzed on her nightstand. She was jolted from her calm state by the sudden noise, but she forced herself to forget about it and go back to sleep. Her phone kept buzzing however, at least once every thirty seconds or so, and soon enough Erza got fed up with the noise and threw the blanket off of her, reaching out for her phone and nearly tearing it off the charger.

 _ **[Bacchus:] hey**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] hey**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] hey Erza**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] are you asleep already?**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] HEY ERZA WAKE UP**_

 _ **[Cana:] dammit erza wake up we're tryna reach you**_

 _ **[Cana:] what LOSER sleeps at 10:30 anyways?**_

 _ **[Cana:] has grad school turned you into a grandma**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] did grad school fuckin kill you**_

That was ridiculous. She was getting bombarded with messages as if she hadn't just spent time with her friends two days ago. They knew that grad school hadn't killed her. They were just being annoying now. Begrudgingly, Erza typed out her reply to Bacchus only (she figured he was with Cana), her fingers loudly clashing against the screen of her phone. She was mad. Why can't she sleep with peace.

 _ **[Erza:] If someone important hasn't just died, I don't want to hear it. I finally have one night where I can get an early night's rest. Let me sleep in peace!**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] :(**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] loosen up sis! we were lookin to invite you out for a wild night**_

 _ **[Erza:] I'm sleeping. Maybe some other time.**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] come on! it'll be fun! cana's here with me it'll be like old times back from the undergrad days. unless you already forgot about your fun undergrad days bc of your fancy grad school**_

 _ **[Erza:] We literally hung out five days ago. We went clubbing.**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] it'll be like old times back from five days ago!**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] Cmon Erza. We really mean it this time. We even found something new and WILD to do**_

Before Erza could reply, she got a text from Cana.

 _ **[Cana:] before you say no you should know we are literally outside of your apartment building rn**_

 _ **[Cana:] and we did not just waste a trip and taxi fare over here for nothing**_

Erza sighed, climbing out of bed and heading to her window. She pulled back her curtain and looked down at the street, spotting Bacchus and Cana, who waved to her. Letting out another sigh, Erza typed back her response.

 _ **[Erza:] Give me ten minutes.**_

 _ **[Bacchus:] aight but there ain't no need to doll yourself up too much. it'll be dark and looking too refined'll make you stick out like an idiot**_

 _ **[Erza:] Good lord then.**_

It took her all of two minutes to throw on some torn jeans and some sort of shirt. She didn't turn the light back on so she hoped that it matched somewhat. Erza grabbed a jacket as she left since it was nighttime and a bit drafty, and to hopefully tie the outfit together. She strolled outside the apartment building soon enough, watching as Cana and Bacchus nearly cheered at the sight.

"She lives!" Cana exclaimed loudly, face lighting up with a wide smile.

Bacchus crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just a leather jacket. Erza wondered how he wasn't freezing. "You're rockin' the rugged look, sis! You'll fit right in!"

"Thanks." Erza replied, voice dry and affected by her exhaustion, "What have I been dragged out of bed for?"

"Follow me! I'll explain on the way." Bacchus spun around cleanly on his heels and pointed in front of him, "Yo, so you know how I had to bail on you guys two weeks or so ago because the boys pulled me away for a night?"

"Erza and I still had fun on our own even if you couldn't make it." Cana looked at Erza with a smirk, laughing under her breath.

Erza just stared ahead of her, "Go on."

"So, Nobarly got invited to go to this underground music spot because he knows a guy, and he invited me and the boys out with him. Now lemme just tell ya' this, it was the WILDEST thing I've ever seen, yo! And your man just got an invite for tonight's gathering." He glanced over his shoulder at Erza and Cana, a sly look on his face, "I thought I'd bring the two wildest girls I know with me! You'll love it!"

Cana flicked at Erza's shoulder with her wrist, clearly unable to contain her excitement, "You ready for something incredible?"

"I'm ready for bed…" Erza's shoulders sagged and she let out a sigh, eyes falling shut.

Cana frowned at that, regarding Erza with a concerned look, "Y'know… If you really don't wanna join us, there's always next time. We can walk ya' back to your apartment."

Bacchus looked over his shoulder again, an eyebrow raised, "She's right, sis. We wouldn't know how ballbusting grad school is. We didn't mean'ta overstep if you're really that beat."

Shaking her head, Erza tried to force a smile, resting her hands on her hips, "Nah… I'm good. I could use the break. Don't pay me and my complaining any heed. I'll wake up soon."

"Now that's wild!" Bacchus regained that excited swagger to his step, "I guarantee ya', one second of action here will keep you up all night!"

"But I have an 8am class in the morning.." Erza began though she cut herself off shortly enough. She wasn't going to sour the mood any longer. "Right. Show the way, Bacchus."

Bacchus nodded gleefully, "Got it, sister!"

A little while later, Bacchus led them to a rundown parking garage. The whole thing was sketchy as Bacchus showed them to the lower levels of the lot, and Erza got a bad feeling in her stomach. She wondered if she could hold her own if she got jumped. Then she remembered she once punched a guy in the face for saddling up to Cana one night while she was particularly drunk and the guy wouldn't take no for an answer. The guy was knocked out immediately. The memory made Erza feel slightly safer. Besides, she had a muscly guy on her side in Bacchus plus an utterly ruthless, dirty fighter in Cana. They could probably take a robber.

On the lowest level of the lot, a lot practically empty and covered entirely in graffiti, Erza was able to hear the sound of hip-hop music clearly, and there were a lot of people crowded together. There were two tables set up, one with alcohol and the other with a mixtable and a laptop. Speakers were on either side of the table with the music equipment, and a guy was manning the table, eyes on the laptop and hand toying with the disc of the mixtable.

As Erza walked around and took in the sights, there was only one thought in her mind. "Did we just join a gang?"

"Nah." Bacchus shook his head, he and Cana both making a beeline to the table with alcohol, "It's a dance battle, yo! And we gonna watch!"

"I was really afraid it was gonna be a rap battle." Cana said, snatching up a red cup of beer, "A dance battle is better. Hey Erza, you want some?" She turned to Erza and pointed with her thumb at the table.

Erza shook her head, "I really shouldn't. I can't show up to classes hungover anymore."

"You can limit yourself to one!" Cana pointed out.

Letting out a laugh, Erza just shook her head again, "And you should know that's all it takes to get me hammered."

Cana just nodded at that, flashing a smile, "You got me there."

"Think fast!" Bacchus suddenly shouted. Erza turned towards him and saw something flying at her, and she was able to react quickly enough to catch it. It was a can of soda. "Y'know, since you ain't gonna drink." He paused for a moment, "...You might not wanna open that for a few seconds. I didn't think that through."

"Yeah, I don't want to get soaked before this starts. But thanks though." Erza grinned his way.

Bacchus slung his arm around Erza then, pulling her closer to the action, "Do ya' know how this stuff works?"

Erza shook her head. Cana slid into the conversation, "This is our first time, man." She pointed out, speaking into her cup of beer.

"Fair 'nough. Alright, so I hope you brought some cash with ya', because how this is judged is that teams go up against each other and dance to a song they picked beforehand, but they also have to dance to a song the other team decides! The winner is judged by audience reaction, so whoever gets the loudest screams, wins. The cash is to show your support. They like it when they get paid."

"So… like a stripper?" Cana asked. Her expression was entirely serious.

"Not that far off!" Bacchus laughed, "But for real, it's like, polite or somethin'. You should really shove some money their way. They get like a guitar case or somethin' out for it once it's underway. You'll see."

Erza nodded along, crossing her arms, "Alright, I think I got it. I'll keep it in mind." Her eyes drifted across the people amongst the crowd. The crowd was pretty organized, gathered in a huge circle to allow room for the dancers, though no dancer was out yet. Erza was trying to scan the people for who she thought the dancers would be. One thing she noticed was how she and Cana were practically the only women there. Her cheeks puffed out at that; she didn't mind, but it was a little disappointing. She couldn't resonate with anyone so far. She didn't know who she'd fork her money over to.

"Ah, man…" Bacchus stretched an arm over his head, getting himself psyched up for the show, "I hope that trio from last time is here… God, the hell were they called again? The… Pussycat… Dolls? Wait, no, that ain't it… Damn, I must've been more wasted than I thought.."

"Not surprising…" Cana again spoke into her cup.

"Pot, meet kettle." Erza laughed under her breath, shaking her head.

Before Bacchus or Cana could protest, everyone was silenced by a loud, screeching mic. The crowd all looked to the DJ station, where the DJ was holding the mic.

"LET'S GET THIS SHOW STARTED!" The DJ, whose name was actually DJ, shouted into the mic, earning him excited shouts from the crowd and applause. Erza clapped her hands together, feeling a little out of place with these energetic, wild fans. Cana and Bacchus fit right in.

"TONIGHT'S FEUD IS THE BIGGEST AND BADDEST! WE GOT A LONG-STANDING RIVALRY HERE! OUR FIRST TEAM IS NONE OTHER THAN THE DEVILS IN THE DARK!" DJ motioned towards a quartet of men who stepped out into the circle, causing the audience to shout in excitement.

Erza only raised a brow curiously and looked at Bacchus, nudging him with her elbow, "Is this the bunch you were talking about that were super good?"

Bacchus shook his head, "Nah, ain't them. It was a trio."

"I dunno about you two, but this bunch _looks_ super good…" Cana nodded in approvement, raising her glass.

"AND THEN WE GOT THE SABERTOOTH TIGERS! AND GET THIS, FOLKS! THEIR FRONTMAN, RIGORA, USED TO BE A MEMBER OF THE DEVILS IN THE DARK! IT'S SOME REAL BEEF IN HERE TONIGHT! OOOOHHH!" DJ cheered, and the audience joined in out of surprise.

"The Sabertooth Tigers! There we go!" Bacchus snapped his fingers proudly.

"How the hell did you get The Pussycat Dolls from that?" Cana huffed, furrowing her eyebrows.

Bacchus shrugged with a laugh, "I told ya'! I was wasted as hell!"

Erza's focus, however, was on the dance group itself. Immediately two guys entered the circle. One of the guys was blond and had his hair spiked up, and he was dressed in a lot of fur and tight-fitting clothes. He seemed to be the more energetic of the bunch, and he dragged his thumb across his neck at the Devils in the Dark as light from the parking garage reflected off his single earring. The other guy was a stark contrast, with black hair and baggy, dark clothes. His expression was entirely stoic, almost bothered and angered, and he stared down the Devils as well. That was two of the tigers, but… didn't Bacchus say they were a trio? Or did Bacchus drunkenly mix up the details again? Whatever it was, Erza's answers came shortly enough, and they sure floored her.

The light and dark tiger were standing side by side, but they were shoved away by someone behind them, and that someone stepped out in front of them both. They had long black hair underneath their "OBEY" hat, and some of the hair was done in braids on either side of their head. They were wearing baggy black pants, a purple crop top that read "HUSTLER," and a grey sweatshirt was tied around their waist. A blue tattoo was situated right above their left hipbone, and their exposed stomach was incredibly toned… Erza found herself biting her lip at the sight, and then the figure had lifted up the visor of their hat, revealing a very feminine face done to the nines in makeup. She was the only other girl there besides Cana and Erza, and she was the frontman of The Sabertooth Tigers. Where was that money bin Bacchus was talking about before? Erza was ready to throw her entire life savings into that bin for this dancer…

Cana looked at Erza then back to Bacchus, "Something tells me she found a team she likes…" She mused in a teasing voice.

Bacchus smirked at the sight of Erza practically drooling, "Keep an eye on the sis, yeah? We don't want her to throw away all of her money just because she's thirstin'."

Pursing her lips, Cana waved her hand in front of Erza. "I think she's so far gone she can't even move to reach her purse!" She said, laughing.

"AFTER LOSING THE COIN TOSS, THE TEAM DUKING IT OUT FIRST WILL BE THE DEVILS IN THE DARK!" DJ doubletapped on the trackpad of his laptop, starting the music, "LET'S GO!"

The start of The Devils In the Dark's song sounded damn near satanic, but Erza drowned it out as best as she could. Her focus couldn't be on them if she tried. She was spellbound by that tigress just by her strolling out into the circle. If she was that taken back by that tigress merely walking, she was going to be destroyed by the time the tigress actually danced, if Bacchus's word was of any merit. Erza watched as the tigress talked with the two males on either side of her, whispering between themselves. She tried to read their lips since their words were drowned out by the music. There was something the blond one said that she couldn't quite make out with his lips due to it not exactly matching up with what he was saying prior. Could he have said the tigress's name? Off of the blond's mouth, it seemed as if he was saying 'Minerva'... Well, Erza would just assume she was named Minerva then.

Soon the song faded out, and Erza was jolted from reality at that point. She had caught absolutely none of the Devils' performance. Not that she really cared; all four of those men were pretty ugly and unappealing. No wonder Minerva seemingly defected from them. They were pathetic.

Minerva lifted her hand closest to DJ and snapped her fingers. DJ didn't even give them an introduction; that action of Minerva's alone was enough. It was obvious who was really in charge here.

Before Erza could stare for too long, Bacchus nudged her with his elbow, "I know ya' got a clear fave already, but keep an eye out on those two fellas by her sides. They were the Twin Dragons before the tigress came along. They were legendary in their own right, but now they're even bigger and badder with that sister by their side!"

Erza only nodded, and both of them knew that Erza wasn't actually going to take her eyes off Minerva. It was worth a shot, though.

A clear distinction between the Tigers and the Devils was that while the Devils focused on hard, heavy moves and techniques, the Tigers were more fluid with their movements, the in-betweens of wow moves just as captivating as the wow moves themselves. Everything was so expertly linked together, flowing with ease, and it oozed mastery. When the chorus came, suddenly the Tigers' movements exploded into something far faster and harder, but their synchronization and fluidity remained even with the change of pace. Minerva moved with grace, every move executed with precision and purpose, and there was no mistake or stumble in sight. The icing on the cake was when the end of the chorus came and there was a slower break, which led to the body waves in the choreography. Erza watched how Minerva's hips and body rolled with ease, how Minerva drew in her bottom lip and smirked as she moved, how Minerva far outclassed the word sexy with her confidence and swagger. The body waves drew out raucous cheers from the audience, Cana included probably in support of the Twin Dragons, but Erza was the opposite, stunned into sheer silence as she stared. The breath had been knocked out from her body, her mouth agape. She was taken entirely.

Even when the song ended, Erza wasn't freed from her captivation. She was fixated on the rise and fall of Minerva's chest from being out of breath. She couldn't help but notice the added glow on Minerva's skin from the sweat of all the fast and constant movement. It was around that point where Erza finally opened that can of soda she got from Bacchus. She was getting pretty thirsty. Even she was seeing that now.

She forced herself to focus on the Devils when their challenge song rolled around. The Tigers gave them a pretty difficult song to dance to on the spot seeing as it wasn't hip-hop, as the lot of underground dancers were typically used to. It was a simple song, almost slow with its groovy instrumentals. For a group accustomed to hard and heavy moves, being forced into a song where there were no explosive instrumentals was a severe disadvantage to the Devils. The Tigers picked well. Somehow, however, the Devils were able to incorporate some hard, rigid moves into the song by matching the drum beat, and it appealed greatly to the audience. They were earning loud cheers, but Erza couldn't see the appeal at all. Then again, she was heavily biased at this point. There was no looking at the Devils objectively anymore.

Even if the Devils sucked, Erza had to applaud their tactics in choosing a song for the Tigers to dance to, for many reasons too. Seeing as the frontman and visual of the Tigers was female, the Devils chose a song that was sexy but in a very masculine and aggressive way in an attempt to trip up Minerva. The Twin Dragons were able to fall in line with the music and atmosphere easily, moving smoothly to the beat and taking up at the front of the formation. It was smart, being at the front and nearly shielding Minerva from sight at first. Their moves were appeasing the crowd as is; Cana was losing it over those two. However, it seemed like they were just out front in order to stall, since Minerva returned to the front when the chorus hit, reinvigorated after feeling the music for some while. She was able to plan out some moves to the song while she let the Twin Dragons take up the front, so it made for an explosive return when she hopped back in front. She fully immersed herself in the atmosphere of the music, juggling between quick, sharp movements and slow, flowing ones. Every move had a scandalous flair to it, matching the tone of the song, and Minerva's body flowed so perfectly to the music. It was as if she were floating with every movement, gliding easily across the pavement and moving as if she were weightless. The sex appeal wasn't lost on Erza as well. She was even more entranced than in the last song, if that were even possible. Minerva's expressions as she danced, biting her lip, letting her eyes fall half-lidded, every quirk of her brow… Erza was gone. She was ready to throw all her money at the Tigers. She was completely fine with that.

It seemed as if the Devils weren't expecting the Tigers to adapt so easily to their song, so already their confidence in winning was fading. Their expressions turned sour and they shook their heads, grunting in anger and irritation as they turned away and stormed off. They tried to salvage their reputation by rebelling, calling the whole thing rigged. That was a forfeit if Erza's ever seen one. She wanted the Devils to be crushed.

"LOOKS LIKE THE SABERTOOTH TIGERS WIN THIS ONE BY DEFAULT! LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR THE VICTOOOOOOOORS!" DJ shouted, throwing his hands in the air. He blasted some music to celebrate too.

"WILD!" Bacchus crushed his empty red cup in his hands from the energy flowing through him.

Cana was shimmying to the music that was playing, sure to keep her drink safe so it wouldn't spill, "This music ain't half bad… I could probably join one of these dance battles at this rate, eh?"

"We'd make the _wildest_ dance team! Ain't that right, Erza?" Bacchus looked to his side in search for some sort of agreement, but Erza had vanished. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Bacchus looked around and spotted her following the lead of some of the other guests, tossing some bills into a case. Bacchus could only flash a sly expression at the sight, "To think the sis was tryna bail on us tonight! Bet she enjoyed it more than we did!"

"I dunno, man.. Those guys were some nice eye candy…" Cana lifted her cup to that, starting off after Erza, "I got a thirst deposit to make too!"

Bacchus hurled his crushed cup towards a far-off trash can with perfect accuracy from tons of practice before following the two girls, "Ain't nothing wrong with some good ol' physical appreciation, I guess!"

When Erza finally got to that cash case, she noticed how the Tigers were standing there and chatting amongst themselves, with Minerva's back to the case for the most part. Erza got out the money she wanted to leave before walking up and throwing it in, and there she saw Minerva glance over her shoulder and look Erza over before flashing a sly grin. Erza's expression looked blank for a moment in response, but she hurriedly spun on her heel and turned away, dragging Cana off with her with widened eyes.

"Wha- hey! Let me be thirsty too! What the hell?!" Cana shouted, trying to fight against Erza's grip.

"She smiled at me." Erza said in a hushed voice, "I've been noticed."

"Oh my god, you are _so_ pathetic!" Cana growled with a shake of her head, "So what?!"

"Ladies, ladies…" Bacchus slid into the conversation and slowly but surely guided the two of them away from each other, "Remember the rules! No fighting unless it's certain each person has had an equal amount to drink! And you, sister, are _sober!_ " He turned his attention to Erza in that moment.

Rolling her eyes, Erza glanced over to the Tigers again. The Twin Dragons were walking the opposite way, and there was Minerva, looking right at Erza, beckoning her forward with her two fingers. Erza just watched as Minerva spun away after that, almost certain Erza would follow eventually. "Hey guys…"

"What now?" Cana crossed her arms.

"Remember that Halloween where I drank so much that I let you guys convince me to crash that one party dressed as a fairy?"

"That night was wild! No one ever let ya' live that one down and they all just kept calling you Fairy Queen!" Bacchus smiled at the memory, "But, uh… why the sudden trip down memory lane, sis?"

"We all know that ain't you anymore." Cana pursed her lips, glancing Erza over.

Erza shook her head, "Bad Decision Titania's not dead." She ran after Minerva once she said that, not even sparing Bacchus and Cana a second glance.

Bacchus pointed after Erza as she ran off, looking over at Cana, "Now that's wild."

"Welp." Cana smacked her lips and just strolled right back over to the money case, "At least now I can give my money over in peace…" And she set her cash down on the pile with a flourish.

Meanwhile, Erza had followed Minerva into a deeper portion of the lot, situated underneath the ramp that led to the upper levels. Erza slowed down from her near sprint, looking to level her breathing before reaching Minerva so she didn't look too desperate, and her heels clicked on the floor and echoed throughout the garage as she approached the hideout under the ramp.

"So…" Minerva spoke, not even facing Erza but her voice still able to carry to the other, "I take it this is your first time around here?" She asked with a knowing tone, gaze fixated on something she was working through on the table in the little hideout.

The fact that Minerva wasn't actively looking made Erza react normally, instead of trying to be composed. She smiled nervously, shoulders sagging, "Is it that obvious?"

"Well, I had hoped you weren't a regular that made a habit of dropping that much money every time. That would be a sure fire way to run anyone broke." Minerva laughed to herself, turning around and leaning against the table, "Besides, girls aren't too common around these parts, and I surely would've remembered one with such vibrant red hair showing up before."

Erza ducked her head to keep her face out of view, brushing some hair behind her ear out of embarrassment. Minerva was onto her, that was for sure. "Heh… You're right. My friends dragged me here for a night out. They're the partying type."

Minerva tilted her head, an amused and intrigued look on her face, "Sounds like you weren't exactly a willing party out there tonight." Yet she did not falter in the slightest.

"I was looking forward to a nice night of sleep before my 8am class tomorrow. That never happens." Erza tried to laugh to soften the blow. It came out very forced and awkward. "Though… my 'unwilling' mind changed once I got here."

Letting out a satisfied hum, Minerva pulled off her hat and ran a hand through her hair to fix it. Her face was much more clear to Erza now that the visor wasn't blocking most of it, and Erza drew in her bottom lip between her teeth at the sight. That was not lost on Minerva in the slightest, and Minerva pushed herself off the table and started walking closer. "That's good to hear. It really is refreshing to see more women around here… Sometimes all the men around becomes a bit of a drag, you know?"

"I would imagine." Erza noticed how Minerva was moving closer, and she wound up taking a few slow steps back. Her heel hit something however, and she realized how she had walked her way towards a large support column. She was only a few inches away from having her back pressed against it, and she glanced back to Minerva who wasn't deterred in the slightest. "Uh…" Erza stammered, struggling to find something to say. Her eyes wandered Minerva's body- brilliant move, eyes -and Erza remembered how Minerva was only wearing a sleeveless crop top. "Aren't you… cold?"

Minerva shrugged indifferently, placing a hand on her hip. "Doesn't bother me." She had backed Erza up against that support column, and there she rested the flat of her arm against the concrete above Erza's head, barely any space between them. There was still room for Erza to slip out if she so wished, but Erza again biting her lip and letting her eyes wander more told Minerva that that probably wasn't happening. "Care to give a lady your name?"

"Erza." She had managed to cough out. Restraining herself was growing damn near impossible.

Minerva grinned at that, "They call me Rigora around these parts, but… for you, I think you can call me Minerva."

Erza managed to smile in response, letting out a laugh, "What an honor.."

"What can I say? I like you already." Minerva tilted her head, speaking in a coquettish voice.

Hearing Minerva's tone so seductive and smooth was Erza's breaking point in holding herself back, and suddenly her hand slipped around to the back of Minerva's neck. "Thank god…" She whispered, voice laced with desire as she pulled Minerva towards her and joined their lips together at last. Minerva half expected for Erza to have jumped on her the second the conversation started, so she wasn't surprised in the slightest and merely closed her eyes and jumped in when Erza forced their bodies together.

Erza's back was fully pressed against the support column now with Minerva's weight against her, though she couldn't bring herself to care about being so caught within Minerva's trap. The only thing she could think about was how Minerva wedged her leg between Erza's own, and how Erza had somehow come to wrap her leg around Minerva's waist. Minerva's free hand came to grip Erza's thigh, her nails digging in enough that Erza could feel the pinch through the fabric of her pants. It brought out a moan from Erza during the kiss, and that caused Minerva to let out a low laugh when she pulled away for air. Instead of diving back in for Erza's lips, Minerva instead trailed down Erza's jawline until her lips definitively settled on the base of Erza's neck and attacked fully. Erza threw her head back, biting down on her lip with a soft moan at the sheer intoxication sensation brought on by Minerva sucking on and toying with the skin of Erza's neck with her teeth. Gradually Erza's hands wandered Minerva's body, and soon Erza was reaching up underneath the loose fabric of Minerva's top until Minerva seized both of Erza's wrists in her grasp.

Minerva guided Erza's hands off of her as Erza only got a fleeting touch of her chest, and her fingers fumbled with Erza's own while Minerva pulled away from Erza's neck. "Let's not forget about that 8am class now… You wouldn't sleep a wink tonight if I let this go any further." Minerva laughed under her breath, voice still carrying that salacious tone even if she were the one to break things off. What a tease.

Erza pursed her lips together and let out a heavy exhale, still out of breath from what had happened. She damn near let out a whimper of protest in response too, but she followed Minerva's lead and slowly lowered her leg from around Minerva's waist as well as freed her hands from Minerva's own. "...Right. I should go."

"Oh, come on. Don't sound so disappointed, Erza." Minerva leaned in closer, a smirk on her lips, "I fully intend on finishing what I started. I just know that if I kept you up any later, you'd feel like hell in the morning. That's why you were so apprehensive about coming out here tonight, right?"

Letting out a sigh, Erza crossed her arms and leaned against the column. Judging by how intense that got in a few moments, Erza figured if she let it go all the way, she would never be able to fight the exhaustion during class. She hated how Minerva had a point there. "Uh-huh. And just how are we going to get around to finishing this?" There was a hint of bite to her words as she spoke.

Minerva only raised an eyebrow, impressed by such bite. She reached down to the jacket wrapped around her waist and started to untie it, and it was like a smack to the face for Erza, watching Minerva take it off but for no purpose. "Easy, now. I'm here every week with Sting and Rogue. I have a feeling we'll run across each other far before then, though." She teased, throwing her jacket on and adjusting it before stepping back to pick up some of the things she had stashed in that little hideout.

"If you say so." Erza pushed herself off the column, arms still crossed.

"Enough with the glum look." Minerva walked back towards Erza after grabbing her hat and bag, slinging the latter over her shoulder. She took Erza's chin between her index finger and thumb, "I always follow through on what I say and do. I'll make sure we get what we both want."

Erza couldn't fight that, and instead she loosened up some and let her arms fall to her sides. It brought a playful grin to Minerva's lips.

"Better." Minerva said, walking past and waving halfheartedly behind her, "Catch you around, Erza. I'm sure I'll see you soon…" And her last note was a low snicker.

Erza could only watch as Minerva walked off, letting out a heavy sigh. She couldn't believe she just got led on by the underground dancing tiger.

* * *

Her hopes and dreams of a long good night's sleep were squashed the second Erza left her apartment to join Bacchus and Cana, and she only got a few hours in by the time she returned home. It felt like hell to roll out of bed in the morning and get herself ready for class, but she made enough coffee to power through it.

Erza was one of the first to arrive to the lecture hall, and she slid into one of the seats in the back. She didn't want to risk accidentally falling asleep in class in a front row seat, so she took the safe route in taking a seat far away from the professor. That way, if she passed out in class, it wouldn't be that noticeable. She took a long drink of coffee from her mug to try and get herself attentive enough to focus, but as she expected, it wasn't working very well. It seemed as if she would just have to suffer through the day.

Suddenly, while Erza had admittedly half-lulled herself back to sleep, she heard a voice nearby.

"Is this seat taken?" The female asked in a droll.

Erza rolled her eyes and sighed. The lecture hall was near empty and this person wanted to take a seat right next to Erza. She still cleared up some of her sprawled up belongings, clearing up a seat to her left. "No, go ahead." She spared a quick glance at the evil female who was pulling this stunt on her, catching a glimpse of how her black hair was cleanly pulled back into a tight, high ponytail without a single strand out of place.

The female smoothly slid into the seat next to Erza, setting her bag down and leaning back in her chair. "My, my… Here I thought you would be happier to see me, Erza. I told you we'd be running into each other soon."

Erza groggily looked over at the female, a raised eyebrow distinguishing itself from a blank, exhausted expression. She didn't say anything. She was just confused and annoyed.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten…" She spun some of the fabric of the bottom of her sweater around her finger before lifting it up, flashing a blue tattoo right above her left hipbone.

The realization hit Erza like a brick to the face, and she suddenly blinked a few times as her eyes shot wide. "Minerva?!" It was easy for her to miss; Minerva looked completely different than she had the night prior. She was in a grey sweater and black leather pants, and her makeup was less colorful than the warpaint-esque look she had before. The flawless ponytail threw her off as well, but Erza realized that the stark red of Minerva's lips was the exact same. She had spent enough time staring to know.

Minerva only smiled slyly as a result, lowering her sweater over her stomach again, "I knew that red hair was familiar from the second I saw you at the lot. Hearing you complain about your morning class only solidified things. The world's smaller than one might expect, no? Looks like we're classmates."

"And you're the one who always shows up to class looking so perfect and stylish that it puts the rest of us dead-inside students to shame…" Erza commented, eyes taking in Minerva unabashedly, "I would have never envisioned you and her being the same after last night…"

"What can I say? I do have a bit of a wild side…" Minerva teased, that coquettish voice from the night before returning. She leaned closer so that her lips were right by Erza's ear, and she rested her hand on Erza's thigh as she did so, "Once this class is over, I say we have some unfinished business to get to, don't we? I'm not through with you yet, Erza.."

Minerva's seductive whisper sent chills down Erza's spine, causing her to close her eyes and shudder in anticipation. It felt as if her cheeks were burning and up in flames, but even so, there was a ghost of a smile on her lips.

Erza didn't pay attention to a single word of her professor's lecture. She could only think of what paradise awaited her once class was over.

It was everything she expected and then some.


End file.
